Published 10:12 IST, August 3rd 2020
Shiv Sena gets confirmation its Rs 1 crore for Ram Temple construction has been received
"We have received confirmation and acknowledgement of the amount transfer from the trustee and treasurer (of the trust)," Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai said
Amid the politics on Ram Mandir by the opposition parties over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ayodhya for the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony, Shiv Sena has said it has transferred one crore rupees to the trust overseeing the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
"We have received confirmation and acknowledgement of the amount transfer from the trustee and treasurer (of the trust)," Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai said in a statement.
The amount was transferred in the bank account of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust on July 27, the 60th birthday of Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, Desai said.
The clarification from Sena comes as media reports stated quoting Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the trust, as saying that no money was received from the Shiv Sena as promised.
We were surprised at reports of Nritya Gopal Das Maharaj saying that no money has been received from the Shiv Sena, Desai said.
Sena's alleged transfer of money comes in the light of Shiv Sena Chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray during his visit to Ayodhya in March this year had announced Rs 1 crore from his trust for the construction of a Ram temple. He had said Rs 1 crore will be donated from his trust and not from the funds of state government.
Politics over PM's visit to Ayodhya
There had been a lot of politics and mudslinging over the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony such as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saying, "Building temples will not cure COVID", while Shiv Sena earlier steered away from the matter and said, "Lord Ram is a matter of faith for the party hence will not indulge in any politics" but ended up getting involved when Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in the party mouthpiece Saamana's interview said Government or Organisers could have opted for e-Bhoomi Pujan.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi who, in an interview with a magazine said, if PM Modi attends the ceremony in an official capacity, it will be a violation of his "constitutional oath". The Hyderabad MP said that secularism is part of the basic structure of the Constitution. However, there have been several occasions in the past when prime ministers and other public figures holding constitutional posts of the country have participated in their official capacity in the various religious events that form a part of the democratic and geographic union of India.
The Bhoomi Pujan is scheduled for August 5 where PM Modi will be the chief guest of the event. In view of the coronavirus pandemic, only 162 people would attend the ceremony and all social distancing norms will be followed at the event. The trust which is assigned the task of managing the construction of the temple has estimated that construction will be completed in 3 to 3.5 years i.e by 2023.
Updated 10:12 IST, August 3rd 2020